阅读说明：本技术 外部传声器主动入口保护 (Active inlet protection for external microphone ) 是由 P.迭戈佩格拉 V.多布斯 Z.马顿 Z.G-S.克莱因海恩茨 于 2021-05-06 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种用于附接到车辆的外部部分的传声器设备,所述设备可包括：外壳,所述外壳维持印刷电路板(PCB)和定位在所述PCB上的传声器元件；密封元件,所述密封元件布置在所述外壳的一侧上并且限定至少一个外壳开口；以及罩盖,所述罩盖在所述密封元件上方延伸并且限定罩盖开口,所述罩盖开口被配置成在已打开状态下与所述外壳开口对准,以使所述车辆外部的环境声音能够传输到所述传声器元件,并且所述罩盖被配置成在已关闭状态下阻挡所述外壳开口以保护所述传声器元件。(A microphone apparatus for attachment to an exterior portion of a vehicle, the apparatus may comprise: a housing maintaining a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) and a microphone element positioned on the PCB; a sealing element disposed on one side of the housing and defining at least one housing opening; and a cover extending over the sealing element and defining a cover opening configured to align with the housing opening in an opened state to enable transmission of ambient sound outside the vehicle to the microphone element, and configured to block the housing opening in a closed state to protect the microphone element.)

1. A microphone device for attachment to an exterior portion of a vehicle, the device comprising:

a housing maintaining a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) and a microphone element positioned on the PCB;

a sealing element disposed on one side of the housing and defining at least one housing opening; and

a cover extending over the sealing element and defining a cover opening configured to align with the housing opening in an opened state to enable transmission of ambient sound external to the vehicle to the microphone element, and configured to block the housing opening in a closed state to protect the microphone element.

2. A microphone apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising an actuator configured to move the housing between the opened state and the closed state.

3. The microphone device as defined by claim 1, further comprising a membrane disposed over the housing opening to act as a barrier to prevent debris from entering at the opening.

4. A microphone device as claimed in claim 3, wherein a membrane is arranged between the sealing element and the cover cap.

5. A microphone device as defined in claim 3, wherein the membrane is disposed between the PCB and the sealing element.

6. The microphone apparatus as defined by claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to:

receiving an indication of an environmental condition related to microphone protection; and is

Directing the housing to move to the closed state in response to the indication.

7. The microphone apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein the indication is a vehicle state of park or neutral.

8. The microphone apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein the indication is a vehicle location associated with a vehicle wash facility.

9. A microphone device for attachment to an exterior portion of a vehicle, the device comprising:

a housing maintaining a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) and a microphone element positioned on the PCB;

a sealing element disposed on one side of the housing and defining at least one housing opening to enable transmission of ambient sound external to the vehicle to the microphone element; and

a cover extending over the sealing element and movable between an opened state and a closed state, the cover configured to cover the housing opening in the closed state to protect the microphone element from environmental conditions.

10. A microphone device as defined in claim 9, further comprising an actuator configured to move the cover between the opened state and the closed state.

11. A microphone device as defined in claim 10, further comprising a membrane disposed over the housing opening to act as a barrier to prevent debris from entering at the opening.

12. The microphone apparatus as defined by claim 11, further comprising a cover extending over the sealing member and defining a cover opening configured to align with the housing opening to transmit ambient sound external to the vehicle to the microphone member.

13. A microphone device as defined in claim 12, wherein a membrane is disposed between the sealing member and the cover cap.

14. A microphone device as defined in claim 13, wherein the membrane is disposed between the PCB and the sealing element.

15. The microphone apparatus as defined by claim 10, further comprising a controller configured to:

receiving an indication of an environmental condition related to microphone protection; and is

Directing the lid to move to the closed state in response to the indication.

16. A microphone apparatus as in claim 15, wherein the indication is a vehicle state of park or neutral.

17. A microphone apparatus as in claim 16, wherein the indication is a vehicle location associated with a car wash.

18. A microphone system for protecting a microphone external to a vehicle, comprising:

a housing maintaining a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) and a microphone element positioned on the PCB;

a sealing element disposed on one side of the housing and defining at least one housing opening to enable transmission of ambient sound external to the vehicle to the microphone element;

a cover element extending over the sealing element and configured to affect an opened state and a closed state on the sealing element; and

a controller configured to:

receiving an indication of an environmental condition related to microphone protection, and

directing the cover element to affect a closed condition on the sealing element in response to the indication.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the cover element is a lid disposed adjacent the housing opening to block the housing opening in the closed position.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the indication is a vehicle location associated with a carwash facility.

Technical Field

Aspects disclosed herein relate generally to external microphone devices. In one example, the external microphone device is arranged to withstand environmental conditions present outside the vehicle. These and other aspects will be discussed in more detail below.

Background

Microphones may need to be packaged on exterior portions of a car to support any number of vehicle applications to detect sounds outside the vehicle. Such microphones may need to be immune to various environmental conditions, such as wind, rain, snow, etc. In addition, such microphones may be positioned on a "class a" surface on the exterior of the vehicle and should provide an attractive aesthetic appearance to the vehicle occupants to highlight the exterior styling of the vehicle.

Disclosure of Invention

In at least one embodiment, a microphone apparatus for attachment to an exterior portion of a vehicle may comprise: a housing maintaining a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) and a microphone element positioned on the PCB; a sealing element disposed on one side of the housing and defining at least one housing opening; and a cover extending over the sealing element and defining a cover opening configured to align with the housing opening in an opened state to enable transmission of ambient sound outside the vehicle to the microphone element, and configured to block the housing opening in a closed state to protect the microphone element.

In at least another embodiment, a microphone apparatus for attachment to an exterior portion of a vehicle may comprise: a housing maintaining a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) and a microphone element positioned on the PCB; a sealing element disposed on one side of the housing and defining at least one housing opening to enable transmission of ambient sound outside the vehicle to the microphone element; and a cover extending over the sealing element and movable between an opened state and a closed state, the cover being configured to cover the housing opening in the closed state to protect the microphone element from environmental conditions.

In at least another embodiment, a microphone system for protecting a microphone on the exterior of a vehicle may comprise: a housing maintaining a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) and a microphone element positioned on the PCB; a sealing element disposed on one side of the housing and defining at least one housing opening to enable transmission of ambient sound outside the vehicle to the microphone element; a cover element extending over the sealing element and configured to affect an opened state and a closed state on the sealing element; and a controller configured to receive an indication of an environmental condition related to microphone protection and to direct at least one of the housing and the cover member to move to the closed state in response to the indication.

Drawings

Embodiments of the present disclosure are particularly pointed out in the appended claims. However, other features of the various embodiments will become more apparent and will be best understood by referring to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 shows an example microphone system;

fig. 2A to 2D show cross-sectional views of an external microphone device according to an embodiment, wherein

Figure 2A shows the external microphone device in an opened position,

figure 2B shows the external microphone device in a closing position,

figure 2C shows the external microphone device in a closed position,

fig. 2D shows the external microphone device in an open position;

fig. 3A to 3D show cross-sectional views of another external microphone device according to an embodiment, wherein

Figure 3A shows the external microphone device in an opened position,

figure 3B shows the external microphone device in a closing position,

figure 3C shows the external microphone device in a closed position,

FIG. 3D shows the external microphone device in an open position;

fig. 4A to 4D show cross-sectional views of another external microphone device according to an embodiment, wherein

Figure 4A shows the external microphone device in an opened position,

figure 4B shows the external microphone device in a closing position,

figure 4C shows the external microphone device in a closed position,

FIG. 4D shows the external microphone device in an open position;

fig. 5A to 5D show cross-sectional views of another external microphone device according to an embodiment, wherein

Figure 5A shows the external microphone device in an opened position,

figure 5B shows the external microphone device in a closing position,

figure 5C shows the external microphone device in a closed position,

FIG. 5D shows the external microphone device in an open position;

fig. 6A to 6D show cross-sectional views of another external microphone device according to an embodiment, wherein

Figure 6A shows the external microphone device in an opened position,

figure 6B shows the external microphone device in a closing position,

figure 6C shows the external microphone device in a closed position,

fig. 6D shows the external microphone device in an open position; and is

FIG. 7 illustrates an example flow diagram of the system of FIG. 1.

Detailed Description

As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.

This helps to detect sounds from outside the vehicle (or external environment) (i.e., traffic, pedestrians, emergency alerts, etc.) due to the development of autonomous driving in the automotive industry. This may require any number of microphones to be mounted on the exterior of the vehicle. To obtain proper functionality, the microphone needs to withstand environmental conditions such as wind, water, dust, dirt, ice, etc. However, the microphone may also need to be able to withstand other forms of ambient conditions, such as heat and water pressure generated during vehicle washing.

External microphone apparatus as disclosed herein are typically arranged to withstand such conditions and are configured to protect the microphone device from heat and water pressure that may be developed by a sprinkler for washing the vehicle. For example, the sprinkler may be a hose or a spray mechanism to spray downwardly from the vehicle. The sprinkler may also be part of an automatic car wash system. In one example, when the microphone is not required to detect external sounds, the device may physically close and protect the passage into the microphone apparatus to prevent any water or heat from reaching the microphone. This may be achieved by a latching device covering the opening, such as a piezo, magnetic or mechanically activated system.

In particular, the microphone assembly may include a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) having a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) (micro-electromechanical system) based microphone located inside the housing and protected externally with an acoustic membrane. A sealing element may be arranged between the microphone and the cover or the body to improve the sound transmission of sound waves to the microphone in order to avoid undesired sound leakage. The acoustic membrane may protect the microphone during operation (in the opened position) and may activate the protection system to close the connection between the outside and the microphone when potential damage to the microphone may occur (e.g. car wash, parked vehicle). These and other aspects will be discussed in more detail below.

Fig. 1 shows an example microphone system 100 for a vehicle 102. The vehicle 102 may be an autonomous vehicle or employ autonomous features. These features may be facilitated and enabled by sound acquired from the microphone device 106. The device 106 is generally configured to be mounted to any exterior portion of the vehicle 102. For example, the device 106 may be positioned on: front or rear bumpers, any doors of the vehicle, side panels or quarter panels of vehicle 105, roof of vehicle 102, hood/liftgate/trunk of vehicle 102, and the like. It should be appreciated that the portion of the vehicle 102 housing the device 106 may define a cavity (not shown) adapted to receive the device 106.

The device 106 generally includes a housing and a cover (as shown in fig. 2-6) and at least one microphone element 120 (hereinafter "microphone element 120"). The microphone element 120 is generally configured to detect ambient noise external to the vehicle 102 and provide the detected ambient noise to any controller (or processor) (not shown) positioned in or around the vehicle 105. In one example, the microphone element 120 may be implemented as a (MEMS) microphone. A Printed Circuit Board (PCB)116 supports the microphone element 120 and includes electrical traces and connections to electrically couple with the microphone element 120.

The microphone apparatus 106 may also include an actuation device or actuator device 126. The device may be configured to close the opening to the microphone element 120 to protect the element 120 from heat or water pressure. The actuation device 126 may act as a latch to close the opening. This is described in more detail below with respect to fig. 2-6. Fig. 2-4 illustrate a system in which an actuator 126 drives a housing containing the microphone element 120 to move the housing relative to the cover to a closed position. Fig. 5-6 illustrate a system in which the actuating means 126 drives the lid to the closed position and the housing remains stationary relative to the cover.

The vehicle 102 may include various vehicle ECUs 124 (electronic control units). The ECU 124 may include a controller configured to provide control of, among other things, engine operating components, body control modules, and the like. The ECU 124 may provide vehicle conditions indicative of the vehicle's condition, such as drive, neutral, park, reverse, standby, etc.

The vehicle 102 may also include a Global Positioning System (GPS) module 128 configured to provide current location and heading information. The location of the vehicle 102 may indicate that the vehicle 102 is present at a particular location, such as a car wash.

The ECU 124 and the GPS module 128 may be included in a computing platform of the vehicle. Further, the microphone device 106 may also include a computing platform via the PCB 116 or another component. Each of the microphone device 106 and the vehicle 102 may include a controller, which may include one or more processors configured to execute instructions, commands, and other routines to support the processes described herein. For example, the PCB 116 and/or the ECU 124 may be configured to determine whether and when to move the microphone device 106 to a closed position to protect the microphone element 120. At least one of the controllers may direct the actuating device 126 to move the cover member (i.e., housing or cover or lid) to the closed position. The controller may also direct the actuator 126 to move back to the opened position so that the microphone apparatus 106 may continue to acquire noise signals from outside the vehicle 102.

The controller may determine that the microphone apparatus 106 should be in a closed position in response to receiving an indication of an environmental condition related to microphone protection. In one example, the indication may occur in response to the ECU 124 indicating that the vehicle 102 is in some state, such as parked or neutral. In the park and neutral states, the autonomous feature may not be used or needed, and thus, the signal provided by the microphone apparatus 106 may not be necessary. In such a case, to protect the microphone device 106, the controller may direct the device 106 to move to the closed position. It should be noted that during a wash, the vehicle 102 is assumed to be parked, or may be in neutral for an automatic wash. Thus, in these states, the device 106 will be shut down and thus protected from any potentially high pressure or heat.

In another example, an indication may be received from the GPS module 128 indicating the location of the vehicle 102 at a known car wash. This may also trigger the device 106 to turn off and thus protect the microphone element 120. In this example, the device 106 may be turned off regardless of the vehicle state received from the ECU 124. Additionally or alternatively, two indications may be required before the controller sends an instruction to turn off the device 106.

Such instructions and other data may be maintained in a non-volatile manner using various types of computer-readable storage media (not shown). Computer-readable media (also referred to as processor-readable media or storage devices) include any non-transitory media (e.g., tangible media) that participate in providing instructions or other data that may be read by a processor or controller described herein. Computer-executable instructions may be compiled or interpreted from a computer program formed using a variety of programming languages and/or techniques, including, but not limited to, the following alone or in combination: java, C + +, C #, Objective C, Fortran, Pascal, Java Script, Python, Perl, and PL/SQL.

The vehicle 102 may communicate with a network 130, such as a cloud network, a packet-switched network service (e.g., internet access, VoIP communication service), a cellular telephone network, and so forth. Data may be transmitted between the vehicle and the network 130. In one example, a GPS location associated with a known car wash site may be transmitted and used to indicate that a vehicle is present at such location.

Fig. 2A-2D show cross-sectional views of an external microphone device 106 according to one embodiment. These figures illustrate an example system having a housing 142 and a cover 144 that cooperate with one another to surround the microphone element 120. Cover 144 is generally oriented to face and away from vehicle 102 into the environment surrounding vehicle 105. As explained above, the microphone element 120 may be implemented as a MEMS microphone. The cover 144 defines a first opening 148 to enable the microphone element 120 to detect audio outside of the vehicle 102. The first opening 148 supports input sound without converting the sound prior to being received by the microphone element 120.

The PCB 116 supports the microphone element 120. Sealing element 138 may be disposed between cover 144 and PCB 116. A sealing element 138 may optionally be provided and positioned between cover 104 and grated cover 110. In one example, the sealing element 138 may be formed of foam and shaped in the form of a cushion. Sealing element 138 may prevent vibration between device 106 and vehicle 105.

The sealing element 138 and/or the PCB 116 may each define a second opening 152 to enable ambient sound passing through the first opening 108 to be received by the microphone element 120. In this example, the acoustic membrane 150 is positioned between the PCB 116 and the cover 104. The acoustic membrane 150 is generally configured to enable audio to pass therethrough and into the second opening 152 for receipt by the microphone element 120. In one example, the acoustic membrane 150 may be made ofOr any other suitable material including one or more water and/or weather resistant materials.

The acoustic membrane 150 is configured to act as a barrier to prevent debris from entering the interior volume of the housing 142 from outside the vehicle 102. For example, the acoustic membrane 150 protects the microphone element 120 from water and/or dust or other debris. As shown, the microphone element 120 is positioned on one side of the PCB 116, while the acoustic membrane 150 is positioned on the opposite side of the PCB 116. It is recognized that the acoustic membrane 150 may need to be protected against direct injection of water (e.g., water exceeding a predetermined amount of pressure is delivered to the acoustic membrane). It may also be desirable to protect the film 150 from the heat formed by steam or water. The actuation device 126 (not shown in fig. 2-6) may drive the housing 142 between an opened position and a closed position.

Fig. 2A shows the external microphone device 106 in an opened position. This may be the normal position during certain vehicle conditions, such as driving and reversing. This allows ambient noise to reach the microphone element 120 through the openings 148, 152.

Fig. 2B shows the external microphone device 106 in a closing position. In this position, the housing 140 is moved relative to the cover 144 such that the first opening 148 is not aligned with the second opening 152. The cover 144 blocks the second opening 152 and thus protects the membrane 150 from environmental conditions outside the vehicle 102.

Fig. 2C shows the external microphone device 106 in a closed position. As explained, the microphone apparatus 106 may be in a closed position during cleaning. As shown, the first and second openings 148, 152 are offset from one another to protect the components within the housing 140 from environmental conditions.

Fig. 2D shows the external microphone device 106 in an open position. In this position, once the ambient conditions subside (i.e., the vehicle wash has been completed), the enclosure 140 may return to an opened position similar to fig. 2A.

Fig. 3A-3D show cross-sectional views of another external microphone device 106 according to one embodiment. This example is similar to the example of fig. 2A-2D, except that in this example, a membrane 150 is disposed between the PCB 116 and the sealing element 138. In any event, it may be desirable to protect the film 150 from high heat and pressure.

Fig. 3A shows the external microphone device 106 in an opened position. Fig. 3B shows the external microphone device 106 in a closing position. Fig. 3C shows the external microphone device 106 in a closed position. Fig. 3D shows the external microphone device 106 in an open position.

Fig. 4A-4D show cross-sectional views of another external microphone device 106 having a second housing 158. The second housing 158 may surround the first housing 142. The second housing 158 may be fixed relative to the cover 144. The housing 142 may be moved under certain environmental conditions similar to the examples described above, while the second housing 158 provides additional protection within the cavity of the vehicle 102 in which the microphone device 106 is located.

Fig. 4A shows the external microphone device 106 in an opened position. Fig. 4B shows the external microphone device 106 in a closing position. Fig. 4C shows the external microphone device 106 in a closed position. As explained, the microphone apparatus 106 may be in a closed position during a car wash or other environmental condition. Fig. 4D shows the external microphone device 106 in a positive open position.

Fig. 5A-5D show cross-sectional views of another external microphone device 106 in which a cap 160 is disposed between the sealing element 138 and the cover 144. The cover 160 may be driven by the actuating device 126 (not shown in fig. 5) between the opened and closed positions to block and protect the second opening 152. In this example, the housing 142 may remain stationary and the cover 160 may move in response to certain environmental conditions. The cover 160 may be configured to slide between the sealing element 138 and the cover 144. In another example, the cover 160 may be a door hinged at the first opening 148 and configured to open and close. Other examples of the cover 160 are also known.

Fig. 5A shows the lid 160 of the external microphone device 106 in an opened position. Fig. 5B shows the cover 160 of the external microphone device 106 in a closing position. Fig. 5C shows the cover 160 of the external microphone device 106 in a closed position, for example during car wash. Fig. 5D shows the cover 160 of the external microphone device 106 in an open position.

Fig. 6A-6D show cross-sectional views of another external microphone device 106 in which a cover 160 is disposed on the exterior side of the cap 144. The cover 160 may function similar to the cover of the system of fig. 5, but is external to the device 106.

Fig. 6A shows the lid 160 of the external microphone device 106 in an opened position. Fig. 6B shows the cover 160 of the external microphone device 106 in a closing position. Fig. 6C shows the cover 160 of the external microphone device 106 in a closed position. Fig. 6D shows the cover 160 of the external microphone device 106 in an open position.

Fig. 7 illustrates an example flow diagram of the system of fig. 1 including a process 700 for determining a location of a device 106. Process 700 begins at block 705 where the controller determines whether an indication of an environmental condition related to microphone protection has been received. As explained above, the indication may be a vehicle state, such as park or neutral. In another example, the indication may be a location associated with a car wash facility. If an indication has been received, process 700 proceeds to block 710. If an indication is not received, process 700 returns to block 705.

At block 710, the controller may direct the actuation device 126 to move the cover element to the closed position. The cover element may comprise a housing 142, similar to the example of fig. 2-4. The cover member may also include a lid 160, similar to the example of fig. 5 and 6. The cover member is movable to misalign the first and second openings 148, 152. By misaligning the openings 148, 152, the membrane 150 may be blocked by the cover 144 or the lid 160 and thus protected from external and environmental conditions (such as hot water and high pressure from car washes).

At block 715, the controller may determine whether the indication has changed. For example, whether the vehicle position has moved and, therefore, is no longer located at the vehicle wash facility. Additionally or alternatively, the controller may determine whether the vehicle state has changed. If so, process 700 proceeds to block 720. If not, process 700 remains at block 715.

At block 720, the controller may direct the actuation device 126 to move the cover element to the opened position. Process 700 may then end.

While the examples shown and described herein are generally related to a single microphone, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be extended to use with array microphones. A single system may control the turning off and turning on of all microphones. Additionally or alternatively, several synchronization systems may control the turning off and on of each of the microphones. Furthermore, more than one microphone may share a cover or cover element depending on the curvature of the surface of the vehicle on which the microphone is arranged. Other microphones may be associated with a particular cover or cover element.

The description of the various embodiments has been presented for purposes of illustration and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments.

Aspects of the present embodiments may be embodied as a system, method or computer program product. Accordingly, aspects of the present disclosure may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a "module" or "system. Furthermore, aspects of the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer-readable media having computer-readable program code embodied therein.

Any combination of one or more computer-readable media may be utilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readable storage medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Aspects of the present disclosure are described with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the disclosure. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, implement the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. Such a processor may be, but is not limited to, a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, an application specific processor, or a field programmable processor.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In addition, features of various implementing embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments of the invention.